


Thinking outside the box

by oddtwist



Category: The Blacklist (TV)
Genre: Angst, Anslo Garrick, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-29
Updated: 2013-11-29
Packaged: 2018-01-02 23:31:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1062974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oddtwist/pseuds/oddtwist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Episode 1x09: it’s cliffhangers like these that trigger the urge to write fan fiction. I really hate two parters: waiting to see what happens is sheer torture, although it does wonders for the imagination. After this episode (Anslo Garrick, part 1), I just had to write down my take on the possible solution of Red’s predicament (how to get himself out of that damned box).</p>
            </blockquote>





	Thinking outside the box

His heart skipped a beat when he saw Lizzie. The anguish of losing Luli and Dembe instantly turned into shock - and he was not able to hide it from Garrick. But then again, there was no need to conceal his feelings and feign indifference this time. Anslo Garrick was notorious for the way he meticulously prepared his operations, so it was safe to assume that the man knew exactly who agent Keen was. Her unexpected appearance saved Dembe’s life because Anslo Garrick understood only too well that the arrival of this woman would be the final nail in Raymond Reddington’s coffin. Garrick’s face lit up in a bright smile when he recognized his new hostage. The extreme satisfaction that settled in his eyes struck Red like the blade of a knife - it cut him open, leaving him utterly helpless and exposed. Anslo held all the cards now and was just one step away from his prize.

“This must be your lucky day, mate.” The criminal lowered himself to Dembe’s level and breathed the words into his face. “It seems that the cavalry has just arrived.”

He pulled the big man to his feet, shoved him towards the other prisoners and walked up to the new arrival. “Agent Keen, I presume. So nice of you to join us.”

A sinking feeling settled itself in the pit of Red’s stomach upon hearing these words, spoken so cordially by this man who lusted after blood. The relief of not having to witness the death of another loved one was overshadowed by the fear of an even greater threat. Reddington cursed between his teeth for relying on the FBI - cursed himself for not seeing through their plan to abduct him to place him into protective custody. Their incompetence had landed them in this mess and for once in his life Red was not in a position to resolve the situation. Lizzie’s life lay in the hands of FBI agents who acted by the book and Red would not be able to protect her this time. His only bargaining point was his own life and right now, trapped inside this damned bulletproof cell, it was not his to give.

Garrick took Lizzie’s arm and gently guided her towards the cell door, where Red was still down on his knees, his eyes fixed on Lizzie. They simply stared at each other for one frozen moment. 

“It seems I have some substantial leverage after all, my dear friend. “ Anslo said, placing Liz as near to the wall as possible.

When he saw the slightest flicker of panic in Reddington’s eyes, he curled his lips into a smirk and a dribble of saliva appeared in the corner of his mouth. "Now what, I wonder, will your mastermind come up with to prevent that this ravishing young lady will meet the same fate as your precious Luli. What kind of cunning plan is going to save her life?"

Liz stared at Red, who had assumed his usual, enigmatic stance. Alarmed by the amount of blood on him and in the box, her eyes wandered to the back of the cell. On the black and white screen of the surveillance video, she had seen that Ressler was injured, but the large pool of blood underneath the bunk brought home the graveness of the situation. She feared that Ressler might have died already – he did not move at all and his injured leg was a grotesque, gory mess. Red seemed to be all right physically; the blood on him was clearly not his own. But it unsettled her more than she was willing to admit to see the habitually fastidious man in this disheveled state - his hands covered in blood, clothes stained and the usually composed and distinguished features that defined this man seemed a distant memory compared to the disconcerted, sweat streaked face that stared at her through the transparent wall.

Liz did her best to ignore the fact that the wall was covered with bloodstains and that she was standing in another puddle of blood that had formed from underneath the dead body of a woman that lay slumped before the entrance of the cell. It only took a quick sideway glance to confirm that this was Luli, ruthlessly executed in an effort to get at Reddington. And Dembe would have been next. Garrick seemed to be well informed about everything regarding Raymond Reddington. He cleverly avoided using FBI personnel as a means of pressure, but went straight for the people Red actually cared about. Liz shivered and for a moment the panic showed in her eyes when it dawned on her - she was going to die here today.

The fear in her eyes set Red in motion. He got to his feet and sought out Cooper in the group of prisoners behind Anslo and Lizzie.

“Harold, tell him the code."

“No.”

Cooper was as determined as he had been when Garrick was about to shoot his body guard. The damned FBI code of conduct was deeply ingrained in all the agents: they were not willing to give in, not even to save one of their own. To serve and protect - but at what cost?

“On your knees, luv.”

Anslo pushed Liz down. He placed the gun at her head and fixed his gaze on Reddington, reveling in the fact that for the first time in his life, the man was not in control and was about to lose everything he lived for in the next minute. This was almost better than the torture he had in mind, once he would actually get his hands on Reddington. The desperate streak in Red’s eyes alone was almost worth the effort.

“If you know the code, Lizzie then give it to him.” Red spoke slowly, pleading. “Please.”

“And let you die?” she said nodding her head.

She had mixed feelings about this enigmatic criminal who had invited himself in her life. Dealing with him had been confusing to say the least. She hated him for his ruthlessness, for what he represented and for what he had become, hated him for the fact that he had turned her life upside down and had expertly robbed her of all the certainties in her existence. But she could not deny the fact that she was drawn to him. Drawn to his charm and wit, his elegance and chivalry - drawn to the hypnotic quality in his voice, with which he was able to soothe and calm her when she needed it most. She was drawn to him because he seemed to know more about her than anyone else in the world, including herself. He’d promised he would do anything to keep her safe – and he had. Kept her safe; actively saved her life more than once. And here she was trying to keep _him_ safe – at an enormous cost. She refused to be responsible for his death.

“I’m going to start counting now, Red.” Anslo said. “I _do_ love countdowns. Adds a touch of dramatic tension to it all doesn’t it? Ten….”

Reddington turned on his heels, rushed to Ressler’s side and tried to wake him by slapping his face. Through a haze of pain, the injured agent managed to open his eyes.

“Donald, I need you to tell me the code now.” Reddington cupped Ressler’s face, forcing the injured man to look at him.

“…can’t…” Ressler was barely conscious.

Reddington raised him up a bit so he could look at what was going on outside their prison; their safe haven. Ressler looked straight into the frightened eyes of Elizabeth Keen, forced down on her knees in front of the smeared wall of the cell door, gun pressed to the back of her head.

“Seven….” Anslo gave the injured man a bright smile.

“She is going to die if you do not tell him the code. _I need the code, Donald_.”

“Don’t tell him, Ressler.” said Cooper from behind Liz.

Ressler's eyes were filled with tears when he shook his head. “No.”

Reddington angrily pushed him back down on the bunk and on the count of five he turned around to grab the semi automatic he’d taken from one of Garrick’s men and pointed it at Ressler’s head.

“Tell me the code now or you will die."

Through the pain, Ressler was only half aware of what was going on.

“Three.”

Ressler turned his head away and on the count of two Reddington's eyes darted towards Lizzie. She fixed him with an intense stare of resignation that spiked his anger even more.

“ _Tell him the code!_ ” he screamed at her.

“One. Time’s up, Red.”

Like a trapped animal, Reddington threw himself against the bloodstained wall while Anslo took a step back and prepared to shoot. With one last look at Reddington, Liz closed her eyes and steeled herself for the inevitable. Time seemed to slow and she heard no other sound than that of her own heartbeat, strong and fast -  full of life.

When the expected shot did not come, she opened them again to see Red towering over her behind the wall, his eyes cold and determined. His bloody hands firmly held the semi automatic - barrel facing upwards…….aimed at his chin.

“I _will_ pull the trigger if you shoot.” His tone made it abundantly clear that he meant it.

Garrick looked up at him, a mixture of surprise and anger on his distorted face. This was a course of action he had not anticipated.

“If I kill myself, you will be left with nothing.” Reddington urged, his eyes holding Anslo’s, determined and relentless. “You know me, Anslo. You know I will shoot, if I have to. You leave me no other option. ” He gave him a wry smile. “It would be ironic if you had gone trough all this trouble just to see me blow my brains out, now wouldn’t it? Where’s the fun in that, Anslo? You did not plot and plan five long years in blackness for this, did you? To see me die like this is hardly rewarding for what I did to you. I’m sure you had some other, more elaborate plans in mind for me. I’d be disappointed if you hadn’t”

Garrick’s fist clenched around the gun but Reddington’s speech had the desired effect. He lowered the weapon and hauled Liz to her feet.

“All right Red, you have my attention.” he snapped. “Just pray your little plan is going to work. Tell them to get you out of this goddamn box or I _will_ kill her. I will start killing everyone if I have to and blow you to smithereens if that is the only way to get my revenge.”

“Cooper, open the box.” Reddington said, perfectly calm and composed. Even at this distance he could tell that Cooper’s determination wavered.“You wouldn’t want to be responsible for my suicide inside an FBI facility now, would you?”

In the short time that Harold Cooper had dealt with Raymond Reddington, the man had been full of surprises. There was however one constant in his behavior that determined his actions and that was agent Keen. The number four on the FBI’s most wanted list had given up his freedom at the risk of spending the rest of his life behind bars, just to be able to be near her. Cooper truly believed that Raymond Reddington would indeed give his life to save that of agent Keene.

“Twenty-seven, zero, I, B, F.”

It was Ressler’s feeble voice that broke the silence, hoarse and exhausted from the pain and blood loss. Red turned to look at him and thanked him with a nod before the man lost consciousness again. He lowered the weapon to the floor and watched as Anslo send one of his men to punch in the code with the help of Cooper’s fingerprints.

Anslo smiled in anticipation when the alarms sounded and the cursed box magically opened itself with a groan; the heavy door reverberating through the holding area.

“You may consider yourself very fortunate.” he told Liz, while his eagerly desired prize was slowly being unwrapped before their eyes. “The Raymond Reddington I knew did not have any regard for a human life but his own. The bastard would betray his own mother for a profit. You must be very special.”

He pushed Liz towards the group of hostages and patiently waited for the door to open completely, revealing Raymond Reddington in the flesh. He stepped up to Red, deliberately invading his private space until he was close enough to smell his sweat. The coppery scent of blood in the holding cell was like the sweet promise of things to come, a taste of what Anslo had in store for him. Oh, he would enjoy his revenge! The fact that Reddington was so hard to get at, made it all the more rewarding. He had been dreaming about this for years and he would savor every single moment of Raymond Reddington’s demise. Revenge was a powerful emotion that had been festering inside him - an inner drive that craved gratification and now the time had finally come to satisfy the urge.

“Good to see you again, Red.” he said and leaned in, their noses almost touching. Red did not budge. “Up close and personal, just the way I like you.”

Garrick could not refrain himself from touching the other man as if to convince himself that it was really true. In an intimate gesture, he adjusted the collar of Red’s shirt and brushed away some dirt from his waistcoat. Reddington allowed the ministrations on his body with a smile. It was all part of the deadly game he would be subjected to over the coming weeks. Anslo Garrick was not a sophisticated man, but when it came to torture he so loved the game of toying with his victims. He was an expert and no one would die under his hands before he allowed it. Red knew from experience that resisting a man like that would only prolong the agony.

With a polite gesture, Garrick invited Red to step out of his prison. Reddington accepted the invitation with a genuine smile and stepped out of the box. The fight was over and he was slowly returning to his normal self, in spite of the awful prospect he was facing. The danger for Lizzy was over. Anslo had gotten what he came for and they would be on their way. Lizzy would be safe. Dembe would see to that, even if he himself would no longer be around to take care of her. She would go on with her life and forget him in the end.

While Anslo personally tied Reddington’s hands with plastic restraints, the hostages were herded into the holding cell. Liz was one of the last to go. She hesitated, trying to find the right words to say. But she could only look at Red, unable to find any words that could express the way she felt. She didn’t feel anything really, just a dull numbness inside her brain that prevented any form of coherent thought.

“Goodbye, Lizzie.” Reddington spoke, his voice very soft and tender. He managed to give her a reassuring smile, before she was pushed into the cell and the heavy door closed behind her.

“All set, then?” Anslo asked and cheerfully tapped on Red’s shoulder as if they were getting ready for a fun outing. “You ready for our grand reunion? You’ll be surprised what I have planned for you.”

“It all sounds very tantalizing, Anslo.” Reddington said in his usual lazy voice. “I see that you can hardly contain your excitement. Please lead the way.”

He followed Garrick out, guarded by the heavily armed mercenaries. With each step a massive weight fell from his shoulders, because he knew that each of his steps would bring Lizzie closer to safety. He glanced at her over his shoulder, a sad and lonely figure amidst the others, with Dembe behind her like a guardian angel.

She would be all right, Red thought.

She would be safe.


End file.
